***** Guitar Project Jigs, Tools & Techniques Online Resources Archives OLF Video Page Library of plans MP3 Library Inlay Class
Offical Luthiers Forum





And our community proudly sponsored by:

RC Tonewoods | Stewart MacDonald | LuthiersForum
TasmanianTonewoods | OLF | OLF MERCH
Luthier Suppliers | Pacific Coast Woods | ELEVATE
OLF X | Tasmanian Acoustic Tonewood | Luthiers Forum Store!
Luthiers Forum | OLF Facebook | AVAIL SPACE
OLF | Alaska Specialty Woods | A.Hix Tonewood
Duke of Pearl | Birkonium CNC | Space




Official Luthiers Forum!

Owned and operated by Lance Kragenbrink
It is currently Sat Nov 30, 2024 4:07 pm


Board index » Instrument Restoration and Repair

All times are UTC - 5 hours





Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 1
  [ 16 posts ] 
  Print view Previous topic | Next topic 
Author Message
Conor_Searl
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 12:24 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:09 pm
Posts: 870
Location: Cowichan Valley, BC, Canada
First name: Conor
Last Name: Searl
City: Duncan
State: British Columbia
Zip/Postal Code: V9L 2E5
Country: Canada
Status: Semi-pro
A customer wants me to change out his pots on an offshore PRS. The posts on the alpha pots in the guitar are a little smaller than on the CTS ones I have. Any tips on making those holes bigger without chipping the poly? I’ve done it before on lacquer finishes by filing the rim of the hole a bit and then drilling backwards without any issue but would like to head any potential problems off at the pass.
Top
 Profile  
 
Barry Daniels
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 9:12 am 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:02 am
Posts: 3263
Location: The Woodlands, Texas
First name: Barry
Last Name: Daniels
This is what tapered reamers are for.


These users thanked the author Barry Daniels for the post (total 2): Conor_Searl (Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:20 am) • DanKirkland (Thu Sep 27, 2018 9:15 am)
Top
 Profile  
 
Conor_Searl
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:23 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:09 pm
Posts: 870
Location: Cowichan Valley, BC, Canada
First name: Conor
Last Name: Searl
City: Duncan
State: British Columbia
Zip/Postal Code: V9L 2E5
Country: Canada
Status: Semi-pro
Barry Daniels wrote:
This is what tapered reamers are for.


Gotcha. Thanks Barry. While I wait for a tapered reamer to show up in the mail, (since I doubt I'll find one in town) would working up to the size of hole I need with drill bits amount to the same thing?
Top
 Profile  
 
DanKirkland
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:26 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:54 am
Posts: 854
State: Texas
Country: United States
Focus: Repair
Conor_Searl wrote:

Gotcha. Thanks Barry. While I wait for a tapered reamer to show up in the mail, (since I doubt I'll find one in town) would working up to the size of hole I need with drill bits amount to the same thing?


From experience, wait for the reamer. Drill bit's have a much higher chance of chipping things than the rramer.
Top
 Profile  
 
Michael
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:29 am 
Offline
Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:54 pm
Posts: 186
Location: Miami, FL
First name: Michael
Last Name: Schreiner
City: Miami
State: FL
Zip/Postal Code: 33183
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
Chipping the finish is the issue it seems. I would use a dowel wrapped with 80 grit sand paper and use a push stroke only.
Michael
Top
 Profile  
 
Chris Pile
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 11:10 am 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
Posts: 5825
First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Rat tail file, sandpaper on a dowel, etc. Drills just invite cracking of finish.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince
Top
 Profile  
 
Conor_Searl
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 11:30 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:09 pm
Posts: 870
Location: Cowichan Valley, BC, Canada
First name: Conor
Last Name: Searl
City: Duncan
State: British Columbia
Zip/Postal Code: V9L 2E5
Country: Canada
Status: Semi-pro
Awesome thanks guys. Those are great suggestions.

As an aside, Stew Mac has tapered reamers for a variety of jobs and they are all around $80. Allparts has one generic reamer for about $6. Is there actually $74 difference in the quality? I'm pretty new to buying tools and I have noticed that you get what you pay for most of the time, I've also noticed the other part of the time you can buy really shiny looking toys.
Top
 Profile  
 
Barry Daniels
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 2:30 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:02 am
Posts: 3263
Location: The Woodlands, Texas
First name: Barry
Last Name: Daniels
Stew Mac reamers only have cutting edges on one half of the body that prevents chattering, which is a very rough hole with large ridges on the sides of the tapered hole. It makes a huge difference.
Top
 Profile  
 
Chris Pile
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:16 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
Posts: 5825
First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Quote:
Stew Mac reamers only have cutting edges on one half of the body that prevents chattering, which is a very rough hole with large ridges on the sides of the tapered hole.


Those are called violin peg reamers. I have early ones with 1 flute for precision sizing.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince
Top
 Profile  
 
Frank Ford
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 6:41 pm 
Offline
Cocobolo
Cocobolo
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2005 6:18 am
Posts: 265
Location: United States
First name: Frank
Last Name: Ford
City: Palo Alto
State: CA
Zip/Postal Code: 94301
Country: USA
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Don't forget the step drill. It may look nasty ut it does a very clean job every time with little or no chipping.

Get the one with 1/2" max diameter:


Image

_________________
Cheers,

Frank Ford

FRETS.COM
HomeShopTech
FRETS.NET


These users thanked the author Frank Ford for the post: Conor_Searl (Thu Sep 27, 2018 9:01 pm)
Top
 Profile  
 
Chris Pile
PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 11:38 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
Posts: 5825
First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Frank won't steer you wrong.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince
Top
 Profile  
 
Bosco Birdswood
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 2:44 am 
Offline
Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2015 7:39 am
Posts: 117
Just playing devils advocate here but why not buy some new Alpha pots that fit the existing holes? Replacing the Alphas with CTS pots with make no difference to the sound unless they are faulty or of a different value to the replacements.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Top
 Profile  
 
Chris Pile
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 8:41 am 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
Posts: 5825
First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Because Alpha pots are crap?

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince
Top
 Profile  
 
Conor_Searl
PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:25 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:09 pm
Posts: 870
Location: Cowichan Valley, BC, Canada
First name: Conor
Last Name: Searl
City: Duncan
State: British Columbia
Zip/Postal Code: V9L 2E5
Country: Canada
Status: Semi-pro
Bosco Birdswood wrote:
Just playing devils advocate here but why not buy some new Alpha pots that fit the existing holes? Replacing the Alphas with CTS pots with make no difference to the sound unless they are faulty or of a different value to the replacements.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yeah, I know. The guitar was a PRS SE and the wiring was solid, clean, and well done, and I told my customer as much. But he wanted the upgrade. So I did it. The first thing he did when he picked up the guitar was roll the volume knob and said wow that feels better. :)


These users thanked the author Conor_Searl for the post: Bosco Birdswood (Thu Oct 04, 2018 5:31 pm)
Top
 Profile  
 
Photoweborama
PostPosted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 9:35 pm 
Offline
Walnut
Walnut

Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2018 1:29 pm
Posts: 14
First name: Mark
Last Name: Wong
City: Orangevale
State: CA - California
Zip/Postal Code: 95662
Country: United States
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
I use a dremel to enlarge them. Very precision edge that way.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


These users thanked the author Photoweborama for the post: Conor_Searl (Mon Dec 10, 2018 12:42 am)
Top
 Profile  
 
DanSavage
PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 3:54 pm 
Offline
Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Tue May 01, 2012 12:54 pm
Posts: 140
Location: Trabuco Canyon, CA
First name: Dan
Last Name: Savage
City: Trabuco Canyon
State: CA
Zip/Postal Code: 92679
Country: USA
If you don't want tapered holes, you can use a model airplane prop reamer. These work extremely well for cleaning up tuner holes in head stocks, etc.

Available from Tower Hobbies for $15 each.

Image

Metric - 7mm, 8mm, 10mm (the first step is 1/4" (6.35mm)): https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... XEGH6&P=ML
SAE - 1/4" 5/16" 3/8": https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... XEGH7&P=ML
Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 1
  [ 16 posts ] 

Board index » Instrument Restoration and Repair

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 53 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
phpBB customization services by 2by2host.com